


The Fall of Ninja Brian

by Urza_Major



Category: Game Grumps, Ninja Sex Party - Fandom
Genre: Eventual Relationships, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Near Fatal Injuries, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Relationship(s), at times anyways, injuries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-06-20 11:35:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15533343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Urza_Major/pseuds/Urza_Major
Summary: Ninja Brian and Danny have been best friends for years, which only began because Danny wanted to do some cool tricks. When Danny's studies go a little off course, Ninja Brian decides that he must be the one to keep an eye on the singing, dancing asshole that is his best friend. Danny's knowledge comes to bite later and leads Ninja Brian to make a decision he never wanted to.





	1. Remembering the Past

**Author's Note:**

> I have a whole thing planned for this. I'm planning on updating pretty regularly so long as I have the time to write, new job and all. But I do have it all planned so it's just a matter of writing it down. It's only about five or six chapters so manage your expectations. 
> 
> I also have a Cuphead fic in the works as well, and i'm trying to write on both of them at the same time so if you're interested, it'll be posted shortly. If not, then take this as the reason this one isn't being updated weekly.
> 
> Beta'd by Pink_Ego

A ninja stood in the kitchen, frosting a small cupcake as he waited for his friend to recover from the shuriken in his skull. As he moved to the next cupcake, he thought back to when he first met the man currently bleeding on the floor.

The man had only been in his twenties when he came to the school of ninjas, hoping to learn some neat tricks for no reason other than he was bored and wanted to impress girls. He had been unsuccessful at everything else he'd attempted, so he decided to try to most outlandish thing he could. Joining the Ninja Academy as old as he was had been unheard of before, but he had managed to make one of the ninjas laugh, which was not an easy feat, so he'd taken up the mantle as the man's trainer. Dan had yet to disappoint Ninja Brian. He was a slow learner, for sure, but Dan never gave up, and in the end, he always figured out the technique.

He'd been learning for many years, doing extra study in the library when he found the healing method he was working on over and over to perfect caused his body to feel different, more so than when he learned other body changing jutsus. He went to Ninja Brian immediately and the elder was shocked to find he had somehow discovered the Ancient Ninja Secret of Invulnerability. Dan had panicked when he realized that he couldn't be killed. He'd only been trying to find a way to quickly heal his wounds but somehow, he'd uncovered a code within the hand motions and found the secret by accident and luck.

Now there was a problem. The Order of Elder Ninjas had never had someone break the code the Ninja Secrets were written in. There was also the problem of the code even being written in a beginner's book. Their first order was to search the rest of the books and promptly destroy any that contained Ninja Secrets. They could rewrite the practices without the risk of someone else finding a secret. While the books and scrolls were searched, the Order met with the young ninja. He was an obvious genius, though this was unknown to him, so there was no doubt if he could break the code he was ready to learn the rest of the Secrets.

They made their offer to him, speaking through sign. They'd teach him the other Secrets, but he'd have to have his vocal cords severed to protect The Order and The Secrets. It wasn't too outlandish to ask; every ninja had to have theirs severed before being taught the Secrets. Ninja Brian had told him so when Dan had asked about the Secrets of Multiplying. His master had had his severed in his teen years, being the most brilliant ninja trained at the Academy and the youngest to ever learn a Secret.

Dan denied the Order, informing them that he wanted to dance, performing an entire song and dance about it much to the befuddlement of the Elders. They had no problem with his choice but they all agreed they couldn't risk him revealing the Ancient Ninja Secret of Invulnerability. If the wrong person got it, it would cause trouble for the whole world. They were in the midst of deciding whether or not to just sever the cords anyway when Ninja Brian stepped forward to offer his life to their cause. He would accompany Danny through his travels and make sure he could never reveal the Secret. That's how he ended up here, killing his unkillable friend over and over again anytime he nearly let the Secret go. Of course, as time went on, Ninja Brian became more annoyed with the younger and started killing him at even the slightest annoyance.

That's how he ended up exactly here, with blood covering the laminate floor of their kitchen as Dan twitched. The ninja sat down the final cupcake as Dan stood, grumbling about cleaning the floor again as he picked up the star that had been forced out of his head during the healing process. It wasn't often Dan got upset but him having to take another shower to clean the blood from his hair meant that it was going to get poofier.

Ninja Brian shrugged and offered him a unicorn cupcake, knowing it would make him feel better. The younger smiled as he took it, leaving to shower, knowing the mess would be clean by the time he came back. Ninja Brian was skilled in hiding evidence of a kill. There was a reason he could never be charged with murder and it wasn't just because he was continuously killing the witnesses, judges, and lawyers who would do so.

Ninja Brian sighed as he cleaned the mess with a flourish, hating the thick smell of Pine-Sol but knowing the house needed it. The two were living off grid so there'd be no problem with black-light. Though, Danny had decided to use one at one of his orgies and the two were shocked at how brightly the room shone. Apparently, Dan had either jacked off or been killed on every inch of the living-room. But black-light aside, Dan didn't like the smell of old blood, so Pine-Sol it was.

There came a knock on the door as two men entered the house, one wearing a simple pink gi in a similar style to Ninja Brian's, the other in full armor. Instinctively, Ninja Brian disappeared into a dark corner, prepared to kill the intruders. Of course, that wouldn't be necessary as it was only the other friends they'd made on their travels.

"Whoa there, Ninja Brian!" The man in the pink held up his hands, smiling softly at the room he suspected a ninja in. "Just us, buddy."

Ninja Brian slunk out of the darkness, dropping the dagger he was wielding back into his hidden sheath.

"Where's Dan?" Ninja Brian looked up, towards where the shower was on the second floor. "Shower?" A soft nod as he returned to his cupcakes, offering one to the two men. 

"No thanks, Brian." Arin held up his hand, smiling as he walked upstairs, leaving the Ninja and Samurai alone. The Samurai, Barry, took the cupcake with a grin, munching on the cat-themed frosting. Brian sat on the counter, watching the man eat, thinking back to when they were enemies.

The two men, Arin Neverbone and Samurai Barry, were part of a team called Samurai Abstinence Patrol, traveling through time using the Lost Samurai Secret of time travel. Barry was the last of the Samurai, having left with Arin just months before the rest were exterminated. The secret to time travel laid in these two men, and it would inevitably die with them since they refused to pass it on.

They used this unique power to protect their belief that no one should have sex before they were married, traveling to times with high amounts of premarital sex to push their beliefs. This, of course, would lead them to Danny Sexbang, the ex-ninja who considered himself to be a sex god. During one of Danny's more passionate orgies, they picked up an anomaly that they had to answer. This lead to a years-long battle between the two rivals. 

If it hadn't been for them being equally matched, they may still have been at each other's throats. Eventually, they came to an understanding. Arin preached abstinence to try to combat overpopulation due to wanton sex and to make sure more kids had two parents. Dan believed everyone should have the choice to show love and passion as they chose. Once they understood each other, they made a compromise. Dan wouldn't encourage premarital sex and Arin wouldn't force abstinence. This soothed the wounds between the two camps, and they'd become fast friends after.  
It turned out that besides that one disagreement, Dan and Arin enjoyed the same things and even had the same sense of humor. Eventually, Ninja Brian noticed that after Arin starting visiting on a regular basis, Danny stopped having orgies and he'd even begun to notice a decline in his regular flings.

As for Ninja Brian and Samurai Barry, they two were only fighting to defend their friends. Of course, they were also insanely competitive, so finding someone that matched them in skill lead them into sparring matches at least once a week. Neither one would ever win, but they each did better every time and they'd both be grinning wildly as Ninja Brian healed and Barry got bandaged up. 

Barry watched Ninja Brian with keen eyes, setting his helmet aside. "Do you have a lot to think about today, Ninja?"

'Someone has to do all the thinking around here, Samurai.' Ninja Brian signed back.

The armored man flipped off the Ninja, standing with his cupcake. "Whatever. I'm going outside." The man left, leaving his helmet on the table. Ninja Brian looked around momentarily, checking the general area before he lifted the helmet and put it on. He looked at himself in one of Dan's mirrors before beginning to do a rather insulting impression of Barry, even going as far as signing out 'Look at me. I'm Samurai Barry, I'm strong and silent but I'm too scared of hurting my pretty face to go into battle without a helmet.'

"Awww, Ninja Brian! You think Barry's pretty?" Dan said as he came down the stairs, frightening his ninja friend into dropping the helmet with a clatter as he disappeared.

"How can you tell what he's saying?" Arin asked right behind him, hair wet from Dan spraying him with the shower head. "He was facing away from us."

"After a while, you learn how to understand NinjaSpeak." Danny smiled brightly as he snatched up another cupcake, "Wonder what Ninja Brian has planned for dinner."

"I think Barry wanted to cook tonight," Arin mentioned, grabbing a water from the fridge. He pointedly ignored the lube sitting there, having learned his friend was into temperature play. "I hope that doesn't lead to a fight."

"Yeah. Then we'll never get to eat. We both know Ninja Brian will keep a fight going as long as he can just so he can get some one-on-one attention from his butt buddy." Dan laughed as Brian reappeared and smashed his cupcake in his face. "Thank you for letting me off with a warning, buddy."

Life was always good with Arin and Barry around, as it gave the normally hyperactive rockstar someone to play with other than Ninja Brian. That's why when worse came to worse and Ninja Brian had to make the toughest decision of his life, he chose them over himself.


	2. Throwing off the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arin is fatally wounded and there's not enough time to deliberate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by Zephiryl

The four of them had a movie night with popcorn and pizza shaped like a star, Danny's specialty. Ninja Brian opted for the recliner, Barry stretched across the loveseat, and Arin and Danny took the couch.

Ninja Brian noted that the two were closer than usual, sharing blankets and muttering commentary about the movie between quiet giggles. Albeit jealous, he was happy to see Danny find someone else to get close to.

Barely two days of friendship movie marathons later, the Samurai Abstinence Patrol was rushing off again. They had left that morning to investigate an anomaly in the timeline, claiming they’d be back by early afternoon. Danny had gotten up to see them off before sitting down on the couch with his head on Brian's leg. Ninja Brian opted to just play with Danny's hair before turning on a movie to drown out the singer's thoughts.

Their lives were always relatively quiet when Arin and Barry were gone, with only a random girl or two around ever so often. This instance was no different. 

Though the sun had now fully sunk down below the trees that surrounded their little house, neither were worried. The Patrol had been late before with no problems, so they just assumed they’d made a mistake in estimating and would reappear a little later. They’d be back before weeks end. Ninja Brian was sure of it.

Ninja Brian didn’t initially jump when Danny shouted, his joy only vaguely interrupting the ninja’s crocheting. It was only when the shouts morphed into panicked screaming that he dropped the scarf he was working on and withdrew a sword to attack the problem. In moments, he was in the kitchen, face to face with Barry who’d been on his way to get the ninja. Barry stepped aside to reveal Danny kneeling over a bloodied Arin, thick tears covering his friend's face as he faught to stop the bleeding. 

"Oh god, oh god, Arin..." Dan had grabbed a wash rag off the counter to help sop up the blood, only for it to be soaked within moments.

“We were ambushed,” Barry said, answering the unspoken question. “We got out of there as fast as we could but... Arin got the worst of it."

Ninja Brian rushed over to check him over, noting the fatality of the wounds and how loosely Arin was holding onto life.

“Ninja Brian," the singer nearly whimpered, watching Arin blink slowly. "He... He’s dying. You must... Can you, please...?” Danny looked up at him, almost willing his friend to try healing the dying man.

Ninja Brian looked back down at him, panic evident in his eyes before he looked back up. There was nothing he could do.

Danny met his eyes and was overcome with another wave of anguish. “No. No, don’t say that. You can’t say that.” The man faught to cover the wound more. “We have to try. We have to. Please, Ninja Brian."

Ninja Brian stood and turned away, hiding the few tears that were able to slip out. Hearing Danny like this... It was the only thing to quell the rage in him.

“Brian.” Danny using his simplified name made him turn back. “Brian, let me save him.”

Ninja Brian stared a moment before he inhaled sharply as he realized what Danny wanted to do. 

He wanted to try to teach Arin the Secret.

He was asking Ninja Brian to break his oath and let Danny teach the secret to an outsider. Brian knew the consequences of breaking his oath. The Order would track them down and kill them all.

Arin coughed weakly, calling Danny's attention back to him. The man looked up at Danny with hazy eyes, reaching for his face as if seeing an angel and needing to touch it to believe it.

Watching the exchange, he knew if he didn’t break his oath, Arin was going to die, and he would lose Danny for allowing it to happen.

Ninja Brian looked down at them with a blank expression and turned away before walking out of the room.

Barry seemed angry at his leaving, but Danny took it for what it was.

“Arin. Arin, please. Listen to me.” Danny called his attention upward. “Just stay with me. I need you to follow my instructions, okay? I'm gonna help you."

The dying man opened his eyes slowly and nodded when he felt he had enough focus on him.

Barry watched in fascination as Danny lead Arin through hand motions and a muttered mantra, the dying man fighting to follow the singer’s lead at times but still trying his hardest. A glow bloomed between them, settling over Arin’s chest before sinking in and slinking over to the wounds to heal them.

As Arin’s eyes slid open, it dawned on Barry that Danny wasn’t just some kid the ninja hung out with. He had been a fully trained ninja as well and the two were willing to give up one of the most powerful secrets the ninjas discovered, just to save his friend.

Arin grabbed at his chest, tired but thankfully alive. “Danny... Dan... What... What happened?”

Danny cupped his face, staring at him and just taking in the fact that Arin was okay again. He pulled him against his chest and sobbed heavily. “It doesn’t matter. You’re alive. You’re alive.”

Arin’s arms slowly wrapped around Danny, looking up at the ceiling before he turned to Barry. The Samurai nodded his head in return and left to find the ninja sitting outside.

“Arin’s alright now.”

‘Good,’ the ninja signed back, sighing in relief.

“Listen. I know it took a lot for you to break that oath of yours, especially considering how strict ninjas can be. But I want you to know I appreciate what you did for him, Ninja.”

Ninja Brian waved him off, but Barry remained by his side. “If worse comes to worse, know that you have us. We’ll fight for you and Danny. We owe you for saving Arin.” He patted his shoulder for a brief moment before letting his hand drop again.

The ninja looked at Barry with what could only be a content smile before signing, ‘Thanks. We’re going to need help when the Order discovers what happened.’

The two sat in peace as Danny got Arin moved to the bed upstairs to rest after what could have been his death.

For now, they’d all enjoy the calm of the night. But in the morning, Ninja Brian would be gone, only a letter from the Order left behind to tell them where he’d gone.


	3. Where do your Loyalties Lie?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian is called to the order and its finally time to choose his side. 
> 
> Dan worries about his Ninja Body Guard and Arin learns more about the Ninja's

Ninja Brian left his friends, leaving Danny with very obvious anxiety. Brian had never left Danny behind, even when he had to go to the high mountains to be cleaned and shaven by the blind monks. He ran a hand over his hair for the hundredth time.

Arin quirked his eyebrow as Danny explained his fear. "Blind monks?"

"Oh," Danny looked over, unaware that he'd been talking out loud. "It's important that no one know what a high-class ninja looks like. Brian hasn't even seen his own face since he was a teenager. But to keep his hair down, about once a month, he goes to the blind monks, who surrendered their sight that take care of ninjas. They shave and clean in complete darkness so that no one may see what the ninja looks like. It's very important to them." He got a distant look to his eyes again. "But... Brian's never gone without me." Danny continued his frantic pacing, the distraction of talking gone. "He's always taken me along with him, to protect the Secret. If the council called him..." Danny's voice faded off as he looked out the window, almost wishing to see the man standing there in the gardens. "I hope he's okay."

Arin looked down at his bandaged body at the mention of this 'Secret.' He didn't remember what Danny had told him to do. He'd been too out of it for much to stick. He just remembered collapsing in the floor, Danny screaming, then following Danny's hand-signs and muttering a phrase back to him. He'd barely gotten the phrase out before he passed out due to exhaustion. When he woke, he felt as if he'd been hit by a truck, but he was alive. Danny had explained that since Arin didn't have accelerated healing, he'd still feel all wounds he got, but he wouldn't die from them.

Danny had left to go get him food, Barry explained what the ninjas sacrificed for him. Once Danny returned, he let him know that Brian was already gone, answering an order he'd gotten only hours after the Secret was revealed.

That was four days ago. 

Danny was convinced Brian was there already and could not think of a reason why he hadn't come back yet. Arin was starting to get worried too, knowing he'd blame himself if Brian was killed. 

"I'm sure he's fine, Dan. Now stop worrying. Come on. Let's just... play some games, huh?"

Danny looked at Arin, still obviously worried, but he eventually sat down and slowly grew to relax as he watched his friend traverse a fantasy world.

\-------

In a dark room, in an undisclosed location, stood a high dais of nine elder ninjas. The room was completely dark, no windows present to light the room.

Appearing in a blink of an eye, standing alone before the Order, was Ninja Brian. The yellow dragons on his chest and his bright blue eyes being the only sign he'd even appeared.

The Order didn't react to his silent appearance. They knew how talented he was in his skills of teleportation. He had pranked them many times long ago when in training.

Though no sound echoed the hall, it seemed as if the ninjas were speaking. Brian was not phased by sudden booming voices. It was not the first time he had encountered the Order because of Danny's mistakes, though it was definitely the most serious.

'What have you done, Brian.' The thought entered his mind from one of the Order. 

'He's released our Secret to an outsider.' another responded.

'I did no such thing. The outsider has been dealt with.' Ninja Brian projected, staying still enough to seem unnatural, but the Order didn't notice. They had other things to think about. 

'And your ward. Whom you allowed to reveal the secret?' This voice was deeper than the others.

'He acted faster than I could respond. But he's been disposed of.' Brian's thoughts remained steady, lying the best he could so as to not put forth his doubt that they'll believe him, or the thought of the truth. He even made sure to add a bit of a pause before saying disposed to really try to solidify that he had rid the world of his best friend and he was emotional about it. A member of the Order sneered and shook his head.

'Brian.' A more feminine voice entered his head. 'You can't keep lying to us. But we're willing to forgive you. You're the strongest student I've ever trained. You deserve a seat up here with us.' She gave off waves of complacency, but Ninja Brian refused to be moved by it.

'But first,' the deep sound interrupted. 'You must first dispose of Danny Sexbang, Arin Neverbone and Samurai Barry.'

Brian cursed himself. He had let his defenses fall enough for them to see through his lies.

There was a deep grumble at the mention of the Samurai, the Order obviously displeased the Samurai was alive, let alone nearly living with such a high ranking ninja. The displeasure was replaced by a small sliver of hope emanating off of the smallest member of the order. 

'Or you can bring us the Samurai. We may be able to crack him and learn their secret to Time Travel, since Brian has been unsuccessful at conjuring it.'

The hopeful feeling spread throughout the Order and they swiftly agreed. Brian on the other hand, felt sudden dread at the thought of them getting their hands on Barry.

'Bring us the Samurai Barry, Brian, and destroy the others. Then you can return home and take your place among the Order.'

Finally, Brian moved, looking down at his feet in thought. Could he betray Danny like that? The man trusted him. He thought back to the relieved look Danny had giving him days ago when he had allowed him to save Arin. He smiled softly. 

Not thinking of where he was, his thoughts were powerful enough for the Order to read. One scowled deeper at it.

'Where do your loyalties lie, Brian?' the deep voice pierced his thoughts again, grabbing Brian's attention. 'If you do not destroy the traitor and the outsider, you will never be allowed to return.'

'And you will have made very powerful enemies.' a new voice entered his mind.

Brian could feel the newcomer trying to break into his defenses and pull out more thoughts. Another tried from another angle to manipulate his thoughts. As he felt another try to break through, he sealed his mind completely, refusing to let anything in or out. They would truly have to fight to get to him. They were trying to control him, but Brian had grown very used to being the most powerful being in the room.

He'd grown used to seeing Danny or Arin be impressed with his abilities. He'd grown used to seeing the Samurai train harder afterwards, trying to be better than Brian. Another thought leaked into his head, though this one had travelled much farther to get to him.

An image erupted in his mind. Danny sleeping on the couch, passed out against Arin. They had been up late playing video games again. While he was glad Danny and Arin had become fast friends rather than enemies, Brian had been noticably jealous of the budding relationship between the two. As he sat on the banister overlooking the couch, he only grew more frustrated.

Arin was taking his Danny.

Movement caught his attention and he glared at the curly haired man as he raised his head. The anger dissipated a bit as he noticed him looking up at the other brunet with a soft blush before sitting up completely. Why was he blushing? Perhaps because he had realised he was curled up with Arin. 

Moments later Danny's eyes raised to meet Brian's, the younger smiling softly. "Hey, Ninja Brian. You watching over us again?"

Brian's look of anger only increased before he turned to walk down the stairs. He was quickly discovering it was hard to be angry when Danny was acting so cute.

"Walking? Bri?" The nickname caused a tightness in his chest. "Is everything okay?" He stood, careful not to move or wake Arin. 

He reached the bottom of the stairs, turning away from Danny with his arms crossed. He knew he was acting like a child but he couldn't help the way he felt.

Danny sighed softly from behind him and walked closer. Two arms sliding around him shocked him, but he was too upset to even try killing him.

"I know you don't want to tell me what's wrong. But I still want to be there for you, Ninja Brian. You're my friend." The arms tightened and Brian laid his hands over Danny's, just taking in the fact that he wasn't alone anymore.

Danny had never tried to manipulate him to get his way. Dannt tried hard to always respect his privacy. Danny was Brian's friend. The order just saw him as a weapon and a powerful ally.

He looked back up where the Order was staring at him, glowing eyes shining under their hoods as they tried to break through the iron wall Brian had put up.

With barely a thought to it, Brian reached back to where his mask was tied and pulled the knot free. Seconds later, the mask had hit the floor and the Order gasped as they looked upon Brian's face for the first time, the features twisted into a scowl as he raised his hand to his pockets.

Faster than the eye could follow, two shurikens were left embedded in the wood beside the High Elder's head, calling the attention of the rest of the Order. By the time they looked back to him, he was gone, leaving the mask crumpled on the ground.

\---

Danny was leaning against Arin, the two falling asleep on the couch while playing games when Barry came in to tell them that a strange man was outside. 

"Is it Ninja Brian?" Danny rubbed his eyes, yawning softly as he got up to go look outside.

"I don't know. He's dressed like him but he's not wearing a mask or anything." Barry had his hand on his sword, ready to attack the stranger. Danny told him to relax in case he set the man off as he opened the door to look him full on.

The man was indeed wearing Brian's outfit, but his face was completely exposed. The man was lightly wrinkled with peppered hair and a deep yet tired scowl etched on his face. He had a large scar on his throat than Danny couldn't help but think was intense as fuck.

"Can I help you?" Danny was on edge, scared of this unknown Ninja. He could feel Barry tensing behind hin, ready to attack. 

'Danny. It's me. Ninja Brian.' The voice in Danny's head was definitely Brian's, but Danny couldn't believe the man would reveal his face. To do so was a death wish to the Order. Unless...

Danny reached out to the man's face, cupping his cheek gently to hold him steady as he looked into those unfathomably deep eyes. The same blue eyes that glared hatred at him for all these years stared back at him, with no trace of malice. But they were definitely the same. The ninja leaned ever so slightly into the touch as if he'd missed it for years.

"B-BRIAN!" Danny was shocked, holding Brian's face tighter to look over the aged details. "YOU TOOK OFF YOUR MASK! WHAT HAPPENED? THE ORDER! DID THEY-?" 

Danny's question was cut short by a knife in his throat, Brian's eyes blown wide in shock at the way Danny had jumped at him. He was a little too jumpy after seeing the Order still. He caught Danny under his arms and huffed out of his nose at the weight.

Barry sheathed his sword and nodded, "Yeah. That's the ninja alright." He sighed and turned to go in, holding the door open as Brian drug Danny in. "So... What happened, Ninja?"

Brian let out a huff of air as he laid Danny on the couch next to Arin, who immediately removed the knife so Dan could begin to move again. The ninja sat in his recliner, running a hand over his face as he just thought things over. 

Over the course of the next twenty minutes, Brian explained why he'd left, trying to lie to the Order, the deal that was offered and the side he'd chosen.

By the time he finished, Danny was sitting up again, wearing a pink kimono now since his blue one was covered in blood.

"So..." Barry started, slowly. "You're not a ninja anymore?"

"What? No he's still a Ninja. He's just rogue now." Danny explained, "Being a ninja isn't about being part of the clan or the Order." He looked to Brian for support for a moment before continuing. He hadn't explained this in awhile. "It's not about the Oath to follow orders like it is for Samurai. Being a Ninja depends on your knowledge. Once you're taught the ways of a Ninja, you're always a Ninja. It just depends on the clan you belong to."

"There's more than one clan?" Arin asked, lightly shocked. They had never encountered another clan. 

"They're all very tight knit and sometimes you can't tell them apart, but it makes sure all the ninjas can't be killed with one raid."

The elder ninja gestured something and began to explain more. Danny translated for Brian, having never learned about the other clans. "Brian says there are about nine clans. The Academy Clan, where everyone starts, then there are seven smaller clans all over the world, represented by images of the Zodiac. The Dragon, The Ox, The Ram, The Snake, The Horse, The Tiger and the Monkey. Brian was in the Dragon Clan."

"Is that why he has dragons on his shirt?" Barry asked, pointing at the yellow serpents.

"Yeah. He was put in that clan when he took up the honor of watching me. The Dragon Clan is the clan of balance. They're charged with making sure everything remains balanced. The last and final clan is the Rogue Clan." Danny looked at Brian. "Rogues aren't even a full clan. They're just people who've turned their back on the ninja academy. We use the term clan because it's simpler."

"Would that include you?" Arin asked, earning a nod from Danny. "So... what happens now?"

'They're coming for us.' Brian's voice echoed in their heads, Arin and Barry both jumping at the unfamiliar voice. 'They're going to kill us.'

"How can they? We're invulnerable, aren't we? Or at least, Dan and I are?" Arin looked up, panicked.

"To an extent." Danny muttered. "If you're body is completely destroyed, there's no healing. If you're cut apart and your body parts flung across the earth, you'll live until the end of your life in complete agony." He ignored Arin's look of horror at the thought. "What should we do, Brian?" The ninja was silent. For once he had no plan.

Arin spoke up from the silence, "We could go to our headquarters. That'll at least make sure we have some time to prepare." The man smiled with determination, fist up in glory before he winced and lowered it.

"You're too weak to move, Arin." Barry pointed out making sure Arin wasn't bleeding again, "The trip could rip you apart. We were lucky to get home."

Brian nodded, 'We'll be fine for a while, anyway. It'll take some time before they'll send someone after us.'

After a bit of discussion on who would stay up to watch for intruders, they decided it was a night and Barry helped Arin upstairs to a room while Brian and Danny had a moment alone to themselves. "So... you're older than I imagined."

'I suppose so. I am older than time.' Brian touched his face, feeling the wrinkles there

Danny chuckled. He looked at his hands before standing and going to the window. "You scared the shit out of me, Brian. You never leave without me."

'I know. And I'm sorry. But you understand now why I had to go alone.' He stood and went to join his friend. He gently touched Danny's arm and smiled. 

Danny smiled back. The moments like this were always his favorite. He was the only one who got sweet moments with him. He moved and wrapped Brian in a hug. "I'm just glad you're back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by pink-ego  
> Also, Dan got to be princess exposition this chapter. Don't worry. Suzy will be Empress Exposition next chapter.


End file.
